I graduated from Suffolk University summa cum laude with honors and a presidential scholarship. I attained a BA in Philosophy and English. The scholarship awarded me the chance to teach English, critical writing, and several workshops to hundreds of students every semester for my final three years at the university. I am currently a widely published writer and a graduate student at the number one low-residency MFA program in the country, Vermont College of Fine Arts. I study poetry and translation (Spanish, Russian, and German). The translation component requires me to translate poems from their native language into English. The MFA itself is a rigorous program that focuses on intense reading and writing. The MFA degree is the terminal degree for the fine arts field. I am also a Professor of Literature at Changing Lives Through Literature, an alternative probation program at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. I am also a copyeditor for The Tishman Review and a manuscript reader for Hunger Mountain. Throughout my poetry career, I have worked closely with several nationally recognized poets, most notably the National Book Award recipient David Ferry. I was awarded the 2014 Robert K. Johnson Poetry Prize and three Pushcart Prize nominations